Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!lavaca.uh.edu!menudo.uh.edu!nuchat!sugar!taronga!peter From: peter@taronga.hackercorp.com (Peter da Silva) Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk Subject: Re: Big Brother charging for modem use? Message-ID: Date: 17 Mar 91 05:15:09 GMT References: <1991Mar16.042030.18706@ddsw1.MCS.COM> Organization: A corner of our bedroom Lines: 20 zane@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Sameer Parekh) writes: > This is NOT a reasonable policy even if it doesn't include software > uploads. If a BBS asks for money, that does not necesarily mean that > it makes a profit. And just because it doesn't make a profit, doesn't mean it's residential. Bringing the IRS into it is a red herring: the IRS has different goals, different reasons for classifying something as a business. They don't tax churches at all, but churches are businesses for IRS purposes. On the other hand, someone working at home (say, painting) is not a business to the phone company but they still have to report business profits to the IRS. Basically, the IRS is in charge of taxes. They care if you are making money by engaging in business transactions. The phone company is in charge of phone service. They care if a phone line is primarily used for business transactions. -- (peter@taronga.uucp.ferranti.com) `-_-' 'U`